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Green Chili Chicken Bake Recipe

This Green Chili Chicken Bake recipe is rich, creamy and delicious. A quick and easy dinner with less than 10 ingredients made in one dish for quick and easy prep and clean up.

I don’t know if it is because I grew up surrounded by fantastic mexican food living in Texas or if it is just because the mexican flavors are just so, so good, but I really love green chilis and creamy cheese in just about any combo. Today’s combo is so rich, creamy and zesty in just the right way. It is comfort food at it’s best.

The absolute best part of this recipe is that it is you can have it prepped and in the oven in just about 15 minutes. The cherry on top is that the only mess to clean up after you eat is a bowl, a spoon and the baking dish. That is speaking my love language. (You can find lots more of these easy one dish chicken bake dinner recipes here! Many have been pinned over a million times!)

There is something a little magic that happens when you combine green chilis with cumin, garlic, and rich, creamy cheese. Then of course you add some nice, juicy, wholesome chicken breast, because… you know… this is dinner so that seems a little more “adult like” then just slurping up all of the cheesy goodness. Instead we just pile it on the chicken breast and then serve it with rice and beans, in tortillas, or if you want to do it a little lower carb you can serve it over a big pile of wilted spinach or other greens. Top it with a dollop of sour cream or my favorite, a huge scoop of this homemade Pico De Gallo, and you have a winner. This tastes pretty amazing just about any way you can cook up!

Green Chili Chicken Bake Recipe- Step by Step

For a full printable recipe, scroll down to the bottom of the post. To walk through how I make this with all of my thoughts, tips and tricks, read below!

Ingredients:

3-4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened – You can use light cream cheese here if you prefer, but fat free will not work well since it doesn’t melt like normal cream cheese. Also, make sure the cheese is nice and soft before you begin to mix it so it combines well. If you don’t have time to leave it out, then put it in a glass bowl, cover, and microwave for about 30 seconds, then stir and add 30 more seconds if necessary. Softening the cream cheese will ensure that it isn’t lumpy and the flavor infuses every bit of the cheese for a delicious dinner.

1 4 oz can chopped green chilis- As I might have mentioned above I really love green chilis. I have tried a lot of brands, but I really prefer Old El Paso. I feel like their chilis are diced but instead of just being pieces in water, the liquid is thicker like pureed chilis which I find to be so much more flavorful than just chili pieces.

1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 375F.

In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper until combined. Then stir in the green chilis and stir until evenly mixed. The key here is just making sure that you are starting with nice softened cream cheese.

Lay the chicken breasts flat in a baking dish. Cover the chicken breasts with the green chili mixture. Then top with the monterey jack cheese.Make sure that the chicken breast is laid in a flat single layer in the dish. I like to use a 2 qt pyrex or a corningware baking dish to give it just enough room. Since the chicken breasts are all different sizes, it is impossible to know exactly how long to cook, but the guidelines below should give you a good start. If the chicken breasts are thick or very large, it will take longer, and if they are smaller, probably less time. If you are in a pinch you can put it in a larger dish and cut the chicken breast up into smaller pieces and spread them out a bit more. This should speed up the cook time a good bit!

Bake on the middle rack for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.I often get asked if you need to cover this while baking. I bake mine on the middle oven rack and do not need to cover it while baking and it comes out perfect. However, every oven is different, and if you bake yours and the cheese is getting browner than you want, feel free to loosely cover it with foil to avoid additional browning. I would let it bake as long as possible without covering though so that you don’t trap all the liquid in while it cooks which can make it soupy.

Quick, easy, and of course delicious as promised! I really hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! If you get a chance to try it out, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @easyfamilyrecipes, or leave me a comment here. It makes my day to heart that people are making my recipes and spending time at the dinner table together!

Notes

You can cut the chicken in half, chunks, or use chicken tenderloins in lieu of full chicken breasts to make serving easier. Cooking time may be reduced.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to a month.

Dietary Considerations:

This recipe is naturally gluten free, low carb, and friendly for low carb and keto diets.

Nutrition facts provided based on my best estimation for the recipe and may not be accurate depending on what brands you use or modifications you make to the recipe. I recommend using a nutrition calculator with the exact brands and measurements you use for the most accurate calculation.

With your casserole, I actually increased it a bit for a larger group of people. I used 14oz of cream cheese, 3/4 can of cream of chicken soup, a half cup of whole milk, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper mixed together in a large bowl, and 4 boneless skinless chkn breasts done in a slow cooker first, and then shredded.

For the slow cooker, the chicken breasts were coated with a teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, a clove and a half of fresh garlic, salt and pepper. Then 2 cups of chicken broth poured over the chicken breast. The were cooked for about 3 hours on a medium heat setting until tender and beginning to easy come apart. This will depend on the individual cook time for your slow cooker. If you’re not sure, check the chicken occasionally as it cooks.

I placed the shredded chkn breasts in a greased 9X13 baking dish, lightly covered the chkn with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, then covered the chicken and cheese with the cream cheese mixture from above, and lastly, added shredded mozzarella over the top. Then, baked at 350 until it bubbled around the edges, about 30 minutes. Then, I turned the oven to broil to brown the cheese on top.

Instead of pasta, or rice, I used shredded spaghetti squash cut in half, seeded, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and baked at 400 for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. The amount of time will depend on the size and thickness of your spaghetti squash.

This was SO delicious! I’m from New Mexico and was wanting to find something other than enchiladas, etc. to enjoy my green chile. I used sharp cheddar instead of pepper jack – just didn’t want to have any other pepper competing with my delicious green chile. We roasted one Anaheim chile and chopped it up (was too soon for fresh Hatch). Served it over mashed potatoes and oh my, how delicious! Even better the next day. Thanks for this yummy recipe!